


third day

by jayhood



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Teen Titans - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, Fraternities & Sororities, Heist, Mystery, Only One Bed, Truth Serum
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:00:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26667841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jayhood/pseuds/jayhood
Summary: From the young age, Rose Wilson knew that people come and go. You can't make them stay, but you damn well can make them leave.
Relationships: Jason Todd/Rose Wilson
Comments: 6
Kudos: 24
Collections: DCU Rarepair Exchange 2020





	1. Rose

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Silver_Snow_77](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silver_Snow_77/gifts).



> It's a No-Capes, College AU of Titans Together, with some of the other Titans lore and characters lifted, some events and characters changed. For example, Slade is not a mercenary here, though his behavior is mercenary at times.  
> Some characters named in the tags are presented more than others, some are just mentioned.  
> It's a mystery that doesn't elaborate all the answers, but there is going to be a happy ending.  
> That said. I really hope you like it.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> From the young age, Rose Wilson knew that people come and go. You can't make them stay, but you damn well can make them leave.

From the young age, Rose Wilson knew that people come and go. You can't make them stay, but you damn well can make them leave.

Usually. She sent another call to a voicemail, turned the screen off, and looked up at the girl sitting across the table.

"Sorry," she said with an apologetic smile because this girl? She didn't want her to go. "Please continue."

"Boyfriend?"

Agnetta nodded at the phone, her face full of sympathy.  _ I know how it is _ , her expression said.

_ Oh no _ , Rose thought.  _ You  _ don't _. You have  _ no  _ idea what it's like to be Slade Wilson's daughter. And that's a good thing for  _ both  _ of us, in the  _ short  _ run _ .

"Come on," Rose sighed. "You were freshman here once. Do you think I have time for love life?"

Agnetta laughed.

"Cute that you think it's going to get easier. But with proper time management," Agnetta gestured vaguely. "That's what Double-B says, anyway. Easy for him to say, he is always pulling girls from Chi Beta."

"Is dating allowed, within the fraternity?"

Agnetta grimaced.

"I  _ hate  _ that word. Fraternity. We, okay,  _ officially  _ we are a fraternity, but most members prefer to call it a club. More gender-neutral this way, see?"

Agnetta then went on a rant about how fraternities were useless excuse to get drunk and party anyway, instead of doing what they came here to do - study, so they could go out into the world prepared to change it. Something, something, society, service, helping people, being productive members of a society.

"And to top that off, they specifically exclude girls?" Rose shook her head when the girl paused to take a breath. "I heard about one that switched from professional back to social just to keep us out."

Agnetta beamed at her.  _ You get it _ , the smile said.  _ We’re on the same wavelength. We are alike. _

"Hey," Agnetta said, giving her a flyer. "The rush week is coming."

Rose looked at the paper and frowned, like she was seriously considering it.

"I don't know... I mean. What do you guys do? I don't know if I will have time for community service with all these classes. I am not here on scholarship or anything, you know? I paid for it with my own money, that's why I am starting so late. I have to make every cent count."

"And we have the best study groups on campus, and highest average GPA among our members." The girl touched her hand, briefly, bringing herself closer. "And we need people like you. Hey! We have a party tomorrow. You can come and meet everyone! Bring a friend if you want. Think about it."

Rose promised she would, even as it wasn't really a question she had to ponder.

That one advantage being the daughter of Slade Wilson that she had was that she always had a plan. Always knew that would happen one step ahead. Of course, only one was not good enough for Slade. But it was good enough for now.

Oof.

"Sorry, miss, are you alright?" 

The guy she barreled into placed a steady hand on her.

She looked up. And up. And up. He was very tall, as tall as Slade was - as soon as she thought that she grimaced because she really needed to stop comparing men to her father. The guy misinterpreted it, and hastily removed his hand.

"Sorry," he said again, flushing and running his neck. "I usually have more self-awareness than this, but..."

He waved his cell phone.

Rose clapped him on the chest. Wow, that was some firm pecks, even through the leather jacket.

"Don't worry about it," she said. "Family or friends?"

The guy frowned but then caught her pointing look at the phone.

"Oh. Uh. Both. Neither. It's complicated."

He frowned again. It didn't make him look ugly, but it was more appealing to look at him when he was looking at Rose, with his bright eyes. Were they blue? Green? Rose couldn't tell.

"What's complicated?" A young man asked, coming up behind this guy and throwing his hand over his shoulder.

"You an' me," Rose's guy replied, shoving the newcomer away. "Dick. Though no, I'm wrong, you're as simple as they come."

"I can take offense to that," the newcomer said, but he was rolling his eyes and smiling.

It was obvious that no matter who these two were to each other, or what the guy said, if there were any bad blood between them, they moved long past. It looked like the most uncomplicated relationship Rose had seen in her life. For a single second, she was jealous. She shook her head. That was one dumb thought. Relationships are always complicated. They take time and effort with little pay off. It’s better to focus on thing that matter. Like money. Or things that will bring you money. Things that will make  _ you  _ better, make  _ your life _ better. Relationships were not that, as far as Rose could judge.

The moment passed, as the guy turned to smile at her apologetically and tipped an invisible hat at her. It was all that Rose could do to hold back her laugh.

"Have a lovely day," the guy said before dragging his not quite family, not quite friend away.

Rose didn't pick up the pace, and she always had good hearing. She heard how the newcomer was teasing the guy. " _ Lovely day,  _ really?  _ Did you get her number? Oh my God, did you even get  _ her name?" - " _ Shut up _ , dick". Sounds of a slap fight followed, but Rose didn't turn to check.

Instead, Rose stopped at the nearest trashcan to check what her catch has been: the wallet she managed to lift was good quality but pretty old. Gift, most likely. No credit card. A really good fake ID - and Rose knew fake IDs. This was on par what Wintergreen would source for her and Slade. A card for a motorcycle repair shop downtown. Two cups of coffee worth of cash. Rose closed the wallet and ran a thumb over the initials engraved on the wallet. JW. The ID also had the name that started with J. It wasn't uncommon for someone to keep their first name on fake documents, especially if you were in it for a long run. She was doing the same thing now, in fact.

She was ready to drop the wallet in the can, convinced that it wouldn't be of any more use, when she heard hurried steps and a rude "Hey!".

It was the same guy, just without the blushing act and politesse from mid-century books. Mid-nineteenth century.

"Hey! That's mine!" he shouted at her.

She waved the wallet in the air and hollered back.

"I am going to be at Chi Beta party tomorrow! Find me if you want this back,  _ Jason Todd _ !"

There were several reasons for her  _ being  _ on this campus, only one of them was why she  _ joined _ . Others, she found along the way. Maybe, she just happened upon another one. Or  _ maybe _ , juggling all the things she needed to do on top of the classes she still needed to attend, left her overtired and not thinking clearly. 

She knew she  _ should  _ regret inviting “Jason” to the party, or stealing his wallet at all. It was unlikely that she was going to be able to use him in any way. “You can’t waste your time on useless people, Rose,” her father always said. Sometimes, though, Rose felt so useless, she didn’t know why would he bother.

Sometimes, she didn’t know why anyone would bother with her.

It wasn’t always like that. Rose knew her worth. A lot of her father’s schemes hinged upon her ability to sneak into places he wouldn’t have been able to, or to provide a veneer of trustworthiness. A middle-aged guy the size of a bus would be intimidating, with or without one eye missing. A middle-aged, slightly rough-looking single father? Without an eye, perhaps a vet? Something else entirely. Then she grew up, and began to pull her weight in choosing marks, coming up with plans. She was good at what they did, and she knew it.

She wanted that feeling back.

When she got the college admission letter, she felt something like it. It was the first successful step in what was supposed to become the longest, most important con in her life. Trick everyone into thinking she’s normal, that she just like them. Bullshit her way through a degree. Get a job in something that people mistakenly thought was boring, like PR or marketing. That was the plan.

Sometimes, though, looking only one step ahead was really not enough.


	2. Jason

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason stayed on straight and narrow: he quit smoking, had a job as legit as anyone could have while living under not quite your legal name, kept his apartment spotless, and ate his vegetables. He didn’t know why shit like this was still happening to him.

Jason stayed on straight and narrow: he quit smoking, had a job as legit as anyone could have while living under not quite your legal name, kept his apartment spotless, and ate his vegetables. He didn’t know why shit like this was still happening to him.

“You can’t deny it, she’s your type,” Dick said.

He was lying on the grass with his hands behind his head, staring at the sky dreamily. All in all, he looked more interested in this girl than Jason did. Not to say he wasn’t, it’s just… What did he mean, Jason’s type? Jason blistered.

“What’s that, a clepto?”

“Bold. Resourceful.  _ Trouble _ .”

Jason pointed a finger at him threateningly. 

"Hey, I never picked trouble once in my life."

Instead of laughing, Dick sat up and started counting.

"Rena, Roy..."

" _ Isabel _ wasn't trouble!"

"You also weren't  _ dating _ . You went on one day where you lied about being an accountant and she told you not to call her ever again. Moving on. Do you want to go to the party? You can crash at my dorm if you want."

“What party?”

Just great. It was Gar and the rest of Dick’s college friends. While they all were hugging and greeting each other, Dick retold what happened today. 

“So, where’s that party?” Gar repeated his question. 

“Uh, at some fraternity? Or sorority,” Jason rubbed the back of his neck under the scrutiny of others. For being of legal drinking age or older, they somehow still kept that well-meaning but irritating habit of sticking the noses into other people’s business.“Chi Beta, I think?”

Immediately, the atmosphere changed. Dick hugged himself, and Kory put her arms around him and pressed closer to him. Vic frowned, exchanging glances with Gar. Rachel had a tiny wrinkle appear between her eyebrows.

“You know it?” Jason guessed.

“It’s a co-ed service fraternity,” Donna explained, her voice was coming out woodenly. “Our friend joined, last spring.”

“You guys have friends, huh,” Jason joked to lift the mood.

It came out awkward and seemed to only make things worse, and the reason why was obvious in a retrospect.

“Had,” Dick said, clearing his throat and looking away. 

Jason recognized that. You don’t talk like that about people you had a falling out with. That look wasn’t for someone who’s still alive. 

“Sorry for your loss,” he said, quiet.

“Listen,” Gar said, grabbing Jason’s hand. “I don’t think you should go there.”

Jason looked at them, but even Dick was nodding.

“Yeah, if I knew that the girl was from Chi Beta...”

“You what? Wouldn’t let me talk to her?” 

“Yes. Don’t be offended, but I don’t think it’s the right girl for you.”

Jason suddenly but unsurprisingly became pissed.

Yeah, it was always like that. People thinking they knew better what Jason wanted or needed rather than Jason himself, was a big red button it wouldn’t be advisable to press. And Dick knew that, and usually stayed away. He had seen the fallout between Jason and Bruce. Why was he suddenly being an asshole?

“Look, I am sorry about whatever happened to your friend, but unless the Chi Beta killed him…”

There it was again. Exchanging looks and pregnant silence.

They told him, eventually, some of what happened. That they went to the campus police and to the dean and even appealed to Interfraternity Council. But XB faced no repercussions.

"Something fucked up going on there," Vic put it bluntly. "We tried to investigate ourselves, but all we got was being banned from any events Chi Beta throws."

“So leave her be,” Donna said. “Even if we’re just paranoid, even if the Chi Beta had nothing to do with what happened to him… They’re not nice people. They seem nice, they talk nice. But they’re not.”

“See, that’s where you’re wrong. The girl I met? She wasn’t nice. She stole my wallet, for fuck’s sake. Maybe she’s not part of it at all. Maybe she isn’t even in the fraternity. Maybe she doesn’t have the slightest idea of what’s going on. We need to do something.”

“Jason,” Dick looked at him with pity. “I know you always want to save people, and that’s a good thing, but…”

Jason leapt to his feet.

“This has nothing to do with it,” he said, turning to leave.

“Jason, wait!” Kory said.

“You want to tell me one more time how I should let it rest?” he glanced at her not even trying to slow down. 

Unfortunately, Kory had legs as long as he did, and didn’t have any trouble whatsoever to catch up with him.

“No, actually,” she said. “I want to tell you to follow your heart. And never leave a drink unattended at a college party.”

“That’s a good advice in general.”

She didn’t disagree. The rest of the walk to the parking lot they spend in a companionable silence. Kory seemed like a chatter box, if you didn’t know her, but she was actually one of the people it was easiest to talk to - and not to talk alike.

“Wanting to save people is not a bad thing, Jason,” she said before hugging him goodbye. “But please remember that allowing people to save you not a bad thing either. Call me, if you need anything. Or Donna. If you need a ride home, or just get into trouble… We will be there.”

“I thought you will say to call Dick.”

Kory smiled.

“We both know you’re not going to do that. You and him are too much alike in that regard.”

Jason frowned. 

“Yeah, he never told me about what happened. He just… dropped of the radar during the finals last year, but I thought it was just. You know. College stuff.”

“It hit him hard. And he knew you were starting a new job, he didn’t want to bother you.”

“That’s stupid,” Jason said.

Kory smiled thinly.

“Exactly.”

He felt slightly better after talking to Kory. 

The good mood lasted until he drove himself home, to his small apartment above the shop, and started digging. There were a lot of disappearances on campuses. Usually, it happened during the rush weeks. Some bodies were recovered days later. Went swimming in the pool drunk, went for a drive outside the city under the influence and crashed the car into the trees, stuff like that. Some people were still missing. Their stuff disappearing from the dorm, but nobody’s seen them leaving. Phones being turned off, bank accounts emptied and then cards never used again, vehicles never found. XB even issued a statement last year, after it happened to one of their own. Unlike most of the cases, it happened during the exams. Bernard Blood, the current president of the chapter, cited poor mental health resources for students, and pledged to raise 200K yearly to donate to the counseling center. They did it too, based on the information from both the college and the fraternity’s website.

Look like nice guys, said Donna about them. But what made them suspect the fraternity in the first place? That was the only time a Chi Beta frat member went missing. Most of the others were either loners or from social fraternities. Most of them men.

Jason looked up the social media. Most of the victims were boyfriends or friends with the members. He looked at the data more closely, did some math. It was all coming together. Even the beautiful girl, a total stranger, going to great lengths to capture his interest and invite him to a party, made sense now. Jason had two questions left.

How did Joey Kane fit into it?

And what was Jason going to do about it?

He had a feeling that without cracking the first, he wouldn’t be able to answer the second. Call it a hunch. That he knew with the utmost certainty now, it’s that Dick was right. The girl was trouble. And he didn’t even know her name yet.

Jason felt so stupid. Thing is, he was here before, kind of. At least, this time he spent some time on trying to figure out what he was getting into before leaping right in.

This won’t be like another Sheila situation, that he could promise to himself.


	3. Rose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose had two siblings but was an only child. In all ways that mattered, anyway.

Rose had two siblings but was an only child. In all ways that mattered, anyway.

She never met them: Grant, Joey. The former died long before she knew Slade existed. Joey picked his mother’s side in the divorce. Changed his last name. Slade never brought any of them up. Never compared her to them. He never volunteered any stories of his old life, or offered to introduce Rose and Joey to each other.

"Does he know about me?" she asked once, when she caught him going through the photos Joey was tagged in on Facebook. Most of the shots were taken by other freshmen, and he seemed to have a good time. A lot of friends. A lot of time when he didn't have to worry about the next job.

Joey never had been on a job with Slade. As far as Rose knew, Slade had only one partner before her. Sometimes she wondered if she was a replacement for her brothers or for Tara Markov. That was stupid of her. Slade could multitask.

She understood the feeling. In a way, Slade was a replacement for her parents, ones who raised her until she was twelve. She didn't resent him. But at that moment, when Slade didn't even acknowledge her with an answer, she resented Joey, a little. He had it all. Mom at home, Slade's attention, friends his age and not just Wintergreen. A future. She desperately wanted to take his place, at that moment.

Now, here she was. At the party at his frat house, with people he was friends with (some of them, anyway), declining another call from Slade.

“Still not a boyfriend,” she told Agnetta and winked. “Though, I have my hopes up for tonight. I took your advice and invited someone.”

Agnetta raised her eyebrow. 

“That’s a shame,” said a voice behind her. “I was hoping to find out more about you, before you will become a pledge officially.”

Bernard Blood, or Double B as he wanted to be called, offered her a drink in a big red solo cup, smiling. Rose took it and sniffed, not bothering to be discreet about it. 

“What’s this?” she asked. “I don’t have the highest tolerance of alcohol, to be honest. My father is rather strict and never let me… That’s actually my first party, to be honest.”

Sad thing was, that was the truth. She overdid it with to be honest, though, she thought. But Double B smiled even more widely.

“That’s okay, Rose,” he said. “Members of our chapter usually prefer to stay away from alcohol or anything else that would make your brains rot. We serve alcohol at parties like these, sure. But just for us, we have a special drink, by an old recipe that passes from a president of the club to the next one.”

Agnetta rolled her eyes.

“The kitchen is like a set of Breaking Bad, when he mixes it. Scales, powders, weird-smelling liquids. But it’s actually good, just try it,” and she took a sip from her own cup herself.

It didn’t smell bad, or like someone poured a lot of mint syrup there to mask the alcohol smell. She brought the cup to her lips. Now, one wrong move and she would accidentally spill the drink over her dress, giving her an excuse to go to the bathroom and use that time to snoop around the house. They gave her a tour of the first floor so far, and something seemed not quite right, but she couldn’t tell what. 

A strong, muscular arm snatched the cup away. She turned, immediately, and saw Jason, who was emptying the cup in big gulps. When he finished, he said:

“You stole my wallet, I stole your drink. Fair’s fair.”

“ _ That’s _ your friend?” Agnetta said. 

“A wallet,” Double B said. “There is some kind of story in that, isn’t here? I will look forward to you telling it to me, one day.”

He smiled warmly at Rose and left, nodding Agnetta to follow him and totally ignoring Jason. Great. Why did she want him to come here, again?

"You're lucky you're cute," she murmured, getting out his wallet with one hand, and tagging him after herself with the other.

"No,  _ you're _ lucky you're cute," Jason shot back. "No, I mean, you are lucky  _ I _ am cute. Not that you're not cute. Not that I am."

He stopped, not budging no matter how much force Rose extended. He got into her face and said lowly.

"But for real, you're lucky I am here. Do you know what's in the drink they gave you?"

"No, and I didn't intend to find out," she hissed. "But whatever this shit is, it kicks in fast. Or are you always like this?"

"Depends. Awkward? Yeah. I just usually keep my trap shut so people would think I am cool."

Rose looked him over. He was in a polo shirt that looked a size too small though the pants were hugging his thighs nicely. He was in the same old running shoes though, and used too much hair gel. It wasn’t a get up he was used to, obviously.

"And it works?"

“That, and the leather jacket,” Jason gestured with the empty cup, then, as though he only noticed it, tossed it into the trashcan that was standing a few feet away. “Huh. Whatever it is, it didn’t cause any loss in coordination.”

“Congratulation,” Rose said. “Want to try out for the school basketball team? I think the captain is a member.”

“I’m not going here,” Jason said. 

“So what are you…” Rose looked around. “You know what, we better take this discussion somewhere more private. Follow my lead.”

She giggled, almost falling into his arms, and tagged him to the stairs, making sure to stop once in a while and send him a look over her shoulder. He was playing the part of drank-too-much, hoping-to-get-lucky party goer brilliantly, stumbling every few steps and looking right back at her with a star-struck puppy eyes.

Maybe they overplayed their hand, because Agnetta found them just as they reached the destination and offered to take her to her dorm room, glaring daggers at Jason.

“No, no, it’s okay, we were just…” Rose giggled.

Ugh, she hated to laugh on purpose. 

“You drank too much, Rose,” Agnetta said. “I’m not sure this,” she gestured between Rose and Jason. “Is a good idea. Do you want to rest in my room for a bit? And, here.”

She pressed an unopened bottle of water in her hand. 

Rose thanked her and waved the bottle around. That was her chance. She could take Agnetta on her offer, go upstairs to her room, sneak around as planned. She would have a good reason to be there, if someone sees her. 

But that would mean leaving Jason here in this state, Jason, who was here only because of her and who voluntarily drank what they prepared for her. It was the sweetest thing anyone ever did for Rose.

And, of course, that was her best chance to figure out what exactly the Chi Beta special cocktail did, if she didn’t want to try it herself.

“I am good,” she said. “We’re good. We will just go to my place!”

“Rose, you live in a girls-only dorm,” Agnetta reminded her.

Shit. Rose never said where her dorm was. Did they run a background check on her?

“His place, then!” 

“I live alone,” Jason offered, even if nobody was asking. 

Agnetta was still frowning, but Rose didn’t let her a chance to say anything else, instead barreling straight to the exit.

On the street, she hooked her arm through his.

“So, where at?” she asked.

“You really want to go home with me? That’s stupid.”

“I wouldn’t put it past them to tail us, so it’s actually quite smart, fuck you very much,” she said. “And why is it stupid?”

She could list a number of reasons herself, but she was curious why did he bring that up.

“You don’t know me,” he shrugged. “I could be an axe killer.”

“True. Are you?”

“No.”

“Somehow, I don’t think you’re capable to lie right now. So I think we’re good.”

He started walking but he didn’t shut up.

“Technically, I could be a gun murderer. Or a strangler. Or a serial kidnapper. Did you know people disappear around this place left and right, especially around the pledge week? I thought you know, anyway.”

Rose froze.

“Why did you think I would know anything about disappearances?”

Jason rubbed the back of his neck. 

“I thought that’s why you invited me. So I’m the next one who disappears. Because, come _on_.”

He began walking again, gesturing at her, then at his own body. She trailed the movement with her eye. Yeah, right, why else a regular hot-blooded girl would invite a handsome six feet something guy with jacked arms and thighs for days?

“And you still came?”

“Yeah.”

“You don’t even know my name.”

“No, I know it. I heard them call you Rose. It is your real name, right?” he looked at her with doubt.

“Is your real name Jason?” she asked in turn. 

“Of course. Why wouldn’t it be?”

“But your last name, on the ID, is fake.”

“No, not really. It’s complicated.”

She squeezed her eye.

“Like not quite friends, not quite family complicated?” she said, remembering.

“Exactly.”

She asked dubiously.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“No, not really.”

Thank god. 

Jason came to a stop again, now gesturing at the bike he parked. 

“Can you drive?” 

“Oh, can I,” Rose smirked.

Apparently, that wasn’t the most reassuring of the answers, because he almost changed his mind. In the end, he just insisted she took his only helmet. 

“Don’t criticize my driving while we’re moving,” she warned him.

“Don’t crash us, and we’re good.”

She patted him on the arm before getting on the bike.

He opened the door and the first thing she saw made her think, yeah, him not being an axe murderer didn’t automatically exclude him out of being any other kind of murderer.

There was a whole wall with post-it notes, newspaper articles, and differently colored strings linking stuff between each other. There were a lot of photos of people, too. In the center of it all, was a picture of two men, smiling, arms around each other. One of them she recognized as the “it’s complicated” guy. 

“That’s my brother,” Jason said. “Dick Grayson.”

“And that’s mine,” she pointed. “Joey Kane. Wilson, before his mother got the divorce.”


	4. Jason

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even as he completely recovered, Jason still found skills that he didn’t need to learn anew after he left the hospital, comforting. Making tea was one of them. That’s what he busied himself with, while Rose talked.

Even as he completely recovered, Jason still found skills that he didn’t need to learn anew after he left the hospital, comforting. Making tea was one of them. That’s what he busied himself with, while Rose talked.

“Adeline, that’s Slade’s, my father’s, wife, she called him last summer. He almost didn’t pick up. I’ve seen Slade angry, I’ve seen him being a difficult asshole. But I never seen him afraid, until that day.

They didn’t break up on good terms. I don’t know if it was Slade’s cheating, or his work, or just him being him. He left her the house and the money, didn’t try to fight for visitation rights for Joey. I didn’t know if he felt guilty or just didn’t care. If he was capable of caring about anyone but himself. Apparently, I know the answer now.

Adeline called him in tears. Joey was missing. I think Slade knew it already, on some level. He never answered Slade’s calls, because Joey was too smart to be dragged into our dad’s bullshit. So Slade resorted to kinda stalking him through social media. Then, Joey stopped updating everything. No pictures with him from his friends, either. Though, now I think about it, how did I not know Dick already?”

Jason placed the cup before her and took one between his hand, himself. He was feeling cold, and like he was running a marathon at the same time. His heart was beating too fast in dread.

“Dick stays away from this stuff, just like I do, and our siblings for the most part. He didn’t change his last name when he got adopted, unlike me, so there’s less chance of him being recognized. In Wayne Enterprises media packets he’s still called Richard Wayne. But you can never be too careful, I guess. And, what you said, about your father stalking Joey… Bruce is just like that. And Dick didn’t want him to know about anything in his life, I guess. I’m not sure. He says a lot of stuff, but he doesn’t share much.”

“Did your parents divorce too?”

Jason shook his head.

“I died, and Bruce didn’t tell Dick about it for three months.”

Rose froze with her cup halfway to her mouth.

“Died?” she echoed, probably aware both of how he’s actually alive here in the kitchen, and about his lack of filter at the moment.

Jason squirmed. 

“Just a little. Few minutes on the operating table, four months in a come and about the same in recovery. Those first three months, Dick was backpacking in Europe. He was kind of on the outs with Bruce, but more like, I don’t have any particular desire to call you just to chat, and not like, I wouldn’t contact you even in the emergency. But Bruce…”

Jason shrugged.

“I don’t know. I don’t remember him that much now, to figure out what was going on in his head. I wish I could. But Dick doesn’t care. He found out about me, eventually, when he got home - heard he was getting another brother, wanted to meet him, arrived to find out he was still one brother short.”

“Wow,” Rose said.

She was looking at him wide-eyed. It wasn’t pity.  _ Like recognizes like _ , her eyes said. _ Can’t believe someone’s family just as fucked up as mine _ . It was a cold comfort, but it made Jason feel warmer toward Rose anyway.

“Yeah. So. Your father suspected something was wrong?”

Rose nodded and lowered her gaze, remembering.

“Adeline asked him if Joey contacted him. Maybe even a text, email. Something to explain. She was afraid Joey did something to himself. The stress of school, abusing prescription medication, hooking up with someone Adeline didn’t approve of. Said they were fighting lately, about this and all the other things. Something stupid, I think she wanted him to intern for her in the summer? And he wanted to rent a studio to paint, I guess. He was an artist.

He was good, you know? At least, I think so. I’ve seen his works, later, when I started researching the school. His works were not only in the school exhibits, but some galleries in the city showed them, too. So obviously I’m not saying just because he’s my brother. I don’t know if it even counts - we didn’t grew up together or met...”

Jason thought back on Damian, Cass, and Duke,

“It does if you think it does,” he said softly.

“Yeah, maybe. Point is, I don’t know shit about arts, and I don’t know Joey, but seeing his paintings? It’s like I  _ knew _ . Don’t know what, exactly. Him, probably. And it pissed me off. I have already decided to come here, I already knew who my target was and what I am going to do to them. But suddenly, it wasn’t just another job, it was personal. Joey didn’t mean anything to me, and they took away my chance to change it.”

"What's, uh, what's the job?" Jason asked. "Are you going to kill them?"

She looked at him with suspicion.

"You're awful calm for someone who suspects a planned murder."

"I am familiar with the feeling, though I didn't go through with the planning. But that's a topic for another day, main thing is, I would understand if you did."

"Would you help?"

Jason struggled with the answer. If Chi Beta was indeed involved in Joey's disappearance, if he's really dead...

But killing people, even if justified, was never an easy thing. That's something he didn't manage to forget.

"I can watch your back," he offered. "And I won't stand in your way."

She nodded.

"I will keep it in mind. But that's not what I have in mind."

“And what’s that?”

“I’m going to expose them,” Rose said, bring her head closer to Jason’s. “And you're going to help.”


	5. Rose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose wasn’t one for trusting easily.

Rose wasn’t one for trusting easily. 

People  _ were _ out to get you. It  _ was _ a bad idea to go home with a guy you barely know. That's things she thinks she would know even without growing up with her father, doing what they did: being the people out to get you.

But if there was something she would cherish from the experience, is to be able to read people. Predict that they do next, to a point. So, when the whole teapot was gone, and all the details hashed out as much as they could have been, she didn't hold back the yawn.

"Oh," Jason said. "Uh. I think I am good to drive, now. I can take you back."

"You're not compelled to tell the truth, and nothing but the truth, anymore?"

"Ask me something."

She considered her options. Decided, to hell with it.

"So, is Bruce Wayne really your father?"

"No," he said immediately.

"Is it a truth, or a lie?"

Could he even tell anymore?

"Come on, ask me a normal question."

"Is the sky blue? No," she waved him away. "I have a better one. Do you think I am pretty?"

"I think you're beautiful," Jason said and immediately turned pink. "In someone's eyes. You know, there's someone for everyone. You're not my type, though. The hair is too long, the nose is too small. And you're short."

"So the drug is really out of your system, huh," she concluded, flipping her hair back. It was, indeed, too long for that, but it made him smile. "And you're a really bad liar."

"I am a great liar," he denied hotly. "When it's necessary. I just didn't want to hurt your self-esteem."

"So you do admit I am pretty?"

He raised his hands up in frustration.

"Do you want the ride back or not?"

"I would prefer to stay here for the night, actually."

"I don't have a couch or anything," he looked at her with suspicion. "Just the bed."

"I will take it."

"I am  _ not _ sleeping on the floor!"

"I didn't ask you to, Princess and the Pea," she shot back. "Look, we are both mature adults who entered a conspiracy to thwart an evil fraternity, who maybe are already suspicious of us, maybe there's someone already waiting for me back at my dorm. I think we can share a bed for one night without strangling each other, what do you think?"

"If you really think they suspect something..."

"No, we're going forward with the plan and that's final. But now? I am going to bed and you do whatever you want. But I am telling you. We are going to take down a massive conspiracy on campus, we can share a bed."

"See," he points. "That's the thing I don't get. How can you trust me? You barely know me, drug-induced confessions notwithstanding."

She looked him over: he really was serious.

"I know people," she said. "And I know you..."

"Don't tell me I am a good person," he said, irritated. "You don't know me. You know our goals temporarily align."

"Yeah, but why?" she pressed. Stood closer to him, pressed a hand to his chest. "It's personal for  _ me _ . But Joey's just a college friend of your adoptive brother."

"It doesn't matter," Jason said. "They can't just do what they want because they have money, or have friends in high places, or whatever the fuck it is that still allows them to go unchecked. It is personal for me because that's what I would have wanted people done for me."

He turned away, angry or embarrassed.

At that moment, Rose felt it: she should leave. She shouldn't have stayed. Shouldn't have pulled him into it. It was too easy. He wasn't doing it for her. He didn't deserve to... He just wanted to do the right thing.

_ But what about what  _ you _ deserve, Rose? _ A voice too much like Slade asked, deep inside her head.  _ What about what do you  _ want _? _

"I am tired," she said. "And it's late. They know where my dorm is. I don't know how exactly paranoid they are. I am not ready to find out just yet. Please? Let me stay."

_ It's unnecessary _ , screamed another voice in her head, much more like her own. But that was what she wanted. For some short amount of time, she could even have it.

"Yeah," Jason said, defeated. "Alright. But I have to warn you: I don't really... I'm not used to sleeping with people. So if I snore, or kick, or steal blankets, I don't want to hear about it in the morning, got it?"

It should have felt like a win. Instead, her heart squeezed painfully, just for a second.

They got ready to sleep in silence. Jason lent her a T-shirt which looked more like a tunic on her. She changed in the bathroom, and when she exited, he was already in bed, off to the far side, almost pressing himself into the wall, looking at her with wary eyes. Like he was the one who had anything to be afraid of, should one of them turn out not the person the other thought them to be.

Jason had good instincts. He would have done well in her field of work. But she wouldn't tell him that, now (that would defeat the purpose), or ever (she doubted that she would have an opportunity).

"Hit the lights," he asked softly.

She did. When she got in, facing him, it took some time to notice that he was keeping his eyes closed. It was long enough until he fell asleep, judging by his breathing and because he said, about ten or fifty minutes later:

"I don't know why you trust me. You shouldn't, I think. I don't even know why I trust you. But I am not making a mistake, am I?"

Rose has been faking sleep for a while now, so he wasn't really expecting an answer. Thankfully.

Things that could have gone better: the morning after.

Should she start with waking up, somehow completely entangled with Jason? To be fair, she didn't have much experience of sleeping part in sleeping together with someone, just like Jason confessed he hadn't. So she didn't know who to blame for the predicament. But she didn't want to be fair.

It just made that harder for her to make herself wake up fully. His body ran hot, and being held by him was how she imagined a weighted blanket felt like. Not the most romantic description to come to mind, when in bed with a guy, but Rose wasn't a romantic. She was too much her father's daughter for that.

She just knew that when all this was over, she was buying one for herself. Because it wasn't like she would get to have this again, otherwise.

"Let me go," she grumbled, hitting him on the chest lightly with an open palm.

She felt irritated, knowing that she had to get out from under the covers and into the cold morning. She had to leave and go to classes that she started to like in earnest but doubted she would ever be allowed to pursue in truth, which made the experience bittersweet. She needed to meet with Agnetta, and maybe talk to Double B if the situation arises, to make up for her leaving abruptly last night. And she had to scan the building plans if she managed to unearth them at the library because her reconnaissance work yesterday wasn't finished. It wasn't that she didn't want to do all that. Or not just that.

She just didn't want to leave this bed, that's all.

She shoved at Jason with more force than warranted, in her frustration, because he immediately flung his eyes open and, seeing her so close, jumped back. His head made a loud noise when it met the wall.

"Sorry," they both said, cringing in embarrassment.

"You alright?" Rose asked when Jason pressed his hand to the back of his head.

"Yeah," he said curtly, getting up and stepping over her to get to the floor. "I am making breakfast. The shower is yours."

He went straight to the fridge, and Rose groped for the cell phone from the bedside table. It had twenty-two new notification: missed calls, Dick Grayson, the last text, from Kory Anders, " _You promised_." It wasn't her phone.

It also showed her the time, and it was twenty minutes before her first lecture. She threw the phone on the bed, hearing that it bounced off it to the floor but not having time to care. She scooped her dress from the floor and threw off the T-shirt, just as Jason turned to her to ask something. Whatever it was, she will never know, because he yelped and turned back. For a twenty-something, Jason was rather prudish. Or sensitive, a softer inside voice said.

She didn't have time to sensitive.

As soon as she finished getting dressed, she grabbed her purse and the bike's keys.

"You made me late," she said. "I'm borrowing it."

"You're not," Jason said, turning the stove back off. "I will take you."

He didn't even change from the sweatpants he was wearing, just grabbed another helmet for her, this one orange/black to his chrome red.

She didn't have time to argue. Especially when it gets her an opportunity to press herself to his back on the ride over. It was a nice back. It was almost as good as waking up cuddling up with him.

It almost, almost was worth the look of disappointment Agnetta gave her when she entered the lecture hall late.

After the class was over, Agnetta stopped her with a hand on her elbow.

"You're lucky I am the TA for professor Lance, and I am taking the attendance. But I am doing this only once, as a favor to you. Because twice, and it would look like I am encouraging irresponsible behavior."

Rose hugged her.

"Thanks," she said in her best tired voice. "For looking out for me. I will make sure it's not going to happen again."

"See that you don't. Rose, really. You are a smart girl, but you need to stay focused, okay? Everything is in your reach if you want it hard enough. But distractions..."

"I know," Rose said. "I just forgot about the alarm. Next time I am over at his place, I will make sure..."

Agnetta sighed and rubbed her temples.

"You don't want me an explanation. I honestly like you, and I want you to succeed, here in college  _ and _ at our Club. But if that's not what you want..."

"It is! It is."

"Then you need to get your priorities straight."

And wasn't that the truth.

Another truth: when Jason pulled over in the school parking lot, and she dismounted and gave her helmet back, and Jason took off his, there was a moment. Just one. She was looking at his disheveled hair and thought, stupidly, that it's a shame she never touched it.

She wasn't one to deprive herself, so she did touch it then.

"You need to go," Jason said roughly.

She did; the lecture already started at that point. She was endangering everything she came here to achieve, probably, just staying here with her hand in his hair, looking from his eyes to his lips.

She darted to plant a kiss on his cheek. He flinched, and that was more she could take today.

She left, not turning around to check if he was still there, looking at her go. He probably wasn't, but.

She didn't hear the engine start again.


	6. Jason

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things like these always took Jason by surprise.

Things like these always took Jason by surprise. 

He was standing there in the parking lot, as a fool, watching Rose go until he couldn’t see her anymore. His face was on fire, and his heartbeat so fast it threatened to jump out of the chest and explode.

_ Calm down,  _ he said himself. That was just - people did that to say goodbye, right? It’s not like she smacked one on his lips.  _ You’re overthinking this. _ Or was he? He couldn’t tell until she made her intentions clear. Well, clear- _ er _ . She could have stayed with him because she was afraid of being alone. She could have kissed him because… Because… She was… grateful? For the ride? For listening? For offering to help?

But that’s bullshit,  _ anyone  _ would do that. Well, not - anyone, but, anyone decent.

Well,  _ Dick  _ would have done it. 

Yes. He needed to talk to Dick. Dick had this sort of thing figured out. 

So Jason decided to swing by his dorm, but of course, the classes for the day already started, and his room was empty. Jason checked. That airhead forgot to lock the door to his dorm room, again. Jason thought, not for the first time, that it would have been better for Dick if he roomed with someone else - both because the roommate probably would have made sure the door was closed if no one was in, and keeping the room clean would have been easier.

Though Jason had to admit, Dick actually made an effort recently. His place was spotless. Bed made, like nobody even slept there ever, no clothes or books on the floor. The floor itself was spotless, and the smell of the cleaning supplies still hang in the air. He must have gotten an early start today, huh.

Speaking of which. Jason had a lot on his schedule as well. Like - work. Shit. What time was it? He checked the pockets, but he didn’t have his phone with him. Probably forgot it at home. He would need to go back before clocking in. Good thing the commute was short, seeing how he was renting the space above his shop.

He found his phone with difficulty. Somehow, it ended up under the bed. As he wasted a lot of time searching, he almost didn’t stop to check the messages. Thank god he did, because there were a lot of them.

Missed calls from Dick from last night. Texts from him and Kory. He checked Dick’s first. It was mainly him asking where Jason was and to call him back, culminating in “Goddamit, Jason, I asked you to leave it alone”. Did Dick know Jason went to Chi Beta’s party? That kind of explained Kory’s text as well. He tried to call both of them but the phone just rang before getting to the voicemail. 

They were probably both in classes, so he shot them a quick text and didn’t look at his phone until lunch. Then, there was still no response from both of them, but there was a message from Rose.

“ _ XB invited me to blood drive after class. I will sneak around tonight, try to find some evidence. _ ”

Jason didn’t like it. They agreed that Jason would be around when she did that, so he could provide a distraction or back-up as necessary. But they planned that for the next week. Actually? The blood drive was supposed to happen the next week. It was a bi-annual event Chi Beta organized during the rush week, when a lot of hungry freshmen who were buying into their “Productivity, Spirituality, and Self-Development” spiel were hanging around and willing to offer not only their veins but probably a kidney, to be accepted. Why change the schedule? 

He checked their website in case there was some kind of explanation. There wasn’t. There was nothing about the new date, no announcements or invites. Something was wrong.

Actually, as he checked with the announcements from the last year, there was a lot wrong with this situation. Like, according to the reports they published, how many people were rushing, and how many pints of blood you could actually donate at a time… It didn’t add up.

Of course, maybe the members of Chi Beta - and the prospects - were unnaturally charismatic and talked like ten times more people than were rushing, into participating. 

But Jason decided to check other events Chi Beta had scheduled around the rush week. Bingo. They were building homes for homeless people, on the outskirts of the city - not that long a drive from campus.

It was all coming together. And Rose was coming right into their trap.

He couldn’t let that happen. He got his brass knuckles and hesitated before opening the small safe standing in the corner of his apartment. He didn’t want to get his gun. Not only because while he had a license, he didn’t have a permit. But… he couldn’t let anything happen to Rose.

Still. If something happened to him tonight… He needed to call Dick. Not to - ask him for help or explain, no, Jason didn’t want him getting into this and didn’t want to worry him. That was supposed to be just a - just so Dick knew Jason knew he could reach out to him. Not like the last time. He didn’t want Dick to blame himself again.

Or Rose. Or Jason. But that was probably a tall order, right?

In any case, he dialed the number. The phone rang, and rang, so Jason braced himself to leave a message. But then he heard a soft click.

“Hello?” a girl’s voice said. “Jason. Is Dick with you?”

He made an effort. The voice was familiar, but not really - like maybe he heard it a couple of times, but the owner wasn’t big on talking.

“Rachel? Why do you have Dick’s phone? And why are you asking me where’s Dick?”

“Dick didn’t show up for classes today, Jason. None of our friends did. I found the phone in his room.”

If Jason thought his heart was going to jump out of his chest before, right now, he felt like it was going to explode.

“When did you see him last? When did you see any of them?”

“Last night. He saw you on Instagram feed, at Chi Beta party, and went to get you. Everyone else went with him. I… went to see my father. I got back just this afternoon, and nobody has seen them since they showed up at Chi Beta.”

The pool of dread gathered in Jason’s stomach.

“I’ve come by theirs already, and they said - they said that’s what they told our friends yesterday: that you drank a little too much, and was taken home. They said Dick was planning to check on you. Did he come by?”

He didn’t. Jason and Rose stayed up for a long time - they would have heard it.

“We need to contact campus security,” he said. “We need - call the police.”

“They are over eighteen, nobody is going to start looking until at least 24 hours passed. That’s how it was with Joey.”

The dread in Jason’s stomach left the stomach and jumped straight to his throat.

“We need to go there,” he said. “We need to break in Chi Beta frat house.”

“It’s not possible,” Rachel said. “Dick thought that maybe… Maybe they were holding Joey there. He wanted to leave, and they… weren’t happy about that. So we tried it, last year. Their windows are bulletproof, and they have coded locks on doors and locking bars on the inside, too. It’s a fortress.”

“Yeah, but you guys didn’t have an inside man there,” Jason said, the sharp fear changing into something like a relief. He pressed his palm to his cheek. Rose. Thank god for Rose.

Shit! She was there with them now.

“Shit, Rose is there with them now,” Jason said out loud, unable to think of anything else now. “We need to go immediately. I will text her on the way. Meet me there, don’t go in alone.”

“Jason…” Rachel started. “This might be difficult to hear...” 

“So don’t say it,” Jason said, irritated, locking his door and going to the stairs. “I know what are you going to say, and I’m telling you, whatever Dick told you, this is nothing like Sheila.”

“...But frankly, I don’t care. You can’t trust Rose. If she’s there with them now, there’s no way she isn’t in the known. I know you don’t think so. That she could have targeted you specifically, because of your connection to Dick who made trouble for them again and again. But that wouldn’t be the first time they used their pledges to do their dirty work. Did anybody tell you about Tara?”

“Tara?” Jason stopped a step to the entrance door. 

There was someone loitering on the street. Jason didn’t see his face - just that it was a man, as tall as him, and old: his hair was completely white.

“We can’t waste time on the full tale, but in short? That’s how they got Joey. That’s probably how they got rid of Joey, too. She didn’t come back for this semester.”

“Or they disappeared her too,” Jason replied grimly and pushed the door to the street. “Hey, asshole!” he shot at the man who was standing too close to his bike for his liking. “Need something?”

The man turned to face him. His face was kinda familiar. Like he had seen him a long time ago. But Jason had a feeling he would have remembered the meeting: the man had a badass eye patch instead of the right eye.

The man raised his hands.

“Just waiting for a mechanic to come back from the lunch,” he said, nodding toward the sign Jason left on the shop’s door. 

“That’s me, and the business hours are over for today. Make an appointment next time.”

Jason glared at him until the man smirked, shrugged, and went away, ignoring Rachel’s questions.

“Sorry,” he said when the man’s car turned around the corner. He checked his bike over, especially the brakes and fuel line. “Someone was here. Not Chi Beta, too old for that.”

“The membership is for life,” Rachel informed him. “My father is an alumnus. That’s why I was over at his place yesterday.”

“To ask for help? Didn’t pan out, I take it. Fathers.”

Rachel didn’t reply.

“Hey, are you okay?” Jason asked, getting on the bike. “Was it… Did something?..”

“I’m okay. We need to worry about our friends so hurry up,” Rachel said curtly and hang up.

Jason hurried the fuck up. 

When he arrived, he checked his conversation with Rose. She confirmed that she’s going to be able to sneak around and open the back door for him and Rachel. Rachel, after he met with her, wasn’t too happy to hear that he decided to involve Rose after all.

“I have a bad feeling about this,” Rachel said, in monotone, like she always did.

It was hard to imagine that she had a feeling about anything in her life, ever. Still.

“You can stay here, you know,” he suggested. “Just in case this is a set-up, call the cops. Call… call Bruce Wayne. He and Dick aren’t talking, but he loves Dick. He will raise all kinds of hell to find him. If it’s too late, at least he will have enough pull to make sure it’s investigated properly.”

“I’m going with you,” was Rachel’s reply.

So they went in.

And look at it - Rachel was right.


	7. Rose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There were times when Rose didn’t feel herself quite human.

There were times when Rose didn’t feel herself quite human. 

Sometimes she was struggling to feel  _ anything _ , sometimes things inside her head were just too much. Most times, though, it was a fatigue when she pulled an all-nighter, or they were on a road for more than 24 hours and were surviving from coffee and fast food. It was hard to think. It was hard to be.

That’s kind of how she felt right now.

Let’s set the scene. 

Classes are over. Agnetta, looking mildly annoyed about the whole thing, catches Rose outside a lecture hall. Invites her to come by the club’s house. Rose does. 

She never donated blood before. She feels a little light-headed. They make her a cup of hot chocolate. She can  _ not  _ drink. Every eye is on her. So that’s what she does. And that’s when the gun makes an appearance and the questions start. About Jason. About, bizarrely, his friends. 

She manages to say the truth without implicating herself. They were looking into disappearances on campus. One of their friend, they suspect, is dead, and they are certain it’s Chi Beta who are responsible.

“Did they ask for help? What did you tell them about us?”

Well. It wasn’t much, what she told Jason about  _ them _ . Jason was the one with the investigation, and Rose mostly talked about herself - or her plan. The plan was: during the rush week, when all the frat members are busy, when there are a lot of people here anyway, she was supposed to let Slade in, so he could crack the safe she suspected was upstairs, based on the building’s plans.

But they didn’t ask about  _ her plans _ . They asked what she told Jason about  _ them _ , and that’s next to nothing.

Double-B, the asshole, pats her cheek and says.

“Good girl.”

“Are you going to kill me now?”

“Of course not,” he replies softly.

The way he looks at her, Rose knew that if she was someone else, if she wasn’t pretty - she would be dead already. In fact, if she was this… this  _ cult _ ’s leader, she would have killed a person like Rose herself. But people around just accept it.

Agnetta is the only one who voices her doubts. But Double-B silences her, and very harshly.

“Grayson and almost all of his friends are in the basement now. But Todd is a wild card. And we can’t allow Roth to snoop around anymore. We have to take her to the boss. And Rose, our sweet, sweet Rose, she’s going to help. Aren’t you? You have a chance to redeem yourself. Do it, and you will join us in our pursuit of better life. The best life you could live. That’s our goal.”

The plan is simple. When Jason contacts her, she is to make him come here by whatever lies possible. It’s even simpler, when Jason text her shortly after, and asks to help to get in.

They open the door for him, in the back. They lay in wait, a few rooms over. The ambush is short one. The girl with him gets chloroformed. Jason fights like man possessed, but there’s too many of them, and so he falls after a blow to his head.

They put him on the table of their huge living room. They tie his hands and feet with ropes. They produce a knife and Double-B holds it out to Rose.

And that’s how Rose found herself here, with a boy she liked - and she never liked people - to be dead by her hand, or, as the firearm in Bernard Blood’s hand suggests, she herself would die.

"You have to cut people out of your life, Rose," he said. "That's the thing. It's like a tumor. They grow on you, yes, but they also slowly killing you."

There was no out. He was mad, all of them were, and nobody was going to come to rescue.

_ Maybe I could do it _ , she thought for a second.  _ That’s him or me, isn’t it?  _ But she looked at his struggling, she looked at his scared, his angry face… He wasn’t afraid to die. He wasn’t mad on his own behalf. 

Also, one of the ropes started to give, and she had to do something before it was noticed.

"No, he doesn't. Jason doesn't - I just met him, he was nothing but great for me. And his friends have nothing to do with it at all!" she said.

"Was he? Because what that seemed like, outside of making you betray us, he didn't want you here with us. He maybe, at best, wanted you partying with him, going home with him, missing classes for him, blowing all your chances. You're not like him. You’re nothing like his friends either. They all have things to fall back on. Donna has her sister, helping her with exhibits. Gar, a movie star. Vic, already scouted by the teams. Rachel with her all-powerful daddy, Dick with his. Jason. Oh, Jason. He doesn’t distract you because he  _ doesn _ ’t know what this is going to do to you. He does it because  _ he knows _ , and wants to drag you down to his level. He wants to use you for his brother's vendetta. But you can end it. You can end all distractions. You can overcome all obstacles.”

He gave her the knife. 

“You don’t have to do all of it,” he said, weirdly gently. “Just him, just Jason. We will take care of the others, for you. We will take care of his body too. We take care of each own.”

“How?” she asked. “How can you hide that many bodies?”

He smiled, anticipating an opportunity to boast his genius scheme to Rose.

“Usually, we’re just drain their blood. Then, after our blood drive reserves are replenished, we will again become a fraternity who donated the most to the city’s hospital, and receive an award, and donations from alumni. So the blood of our enemies will reinvigorate us. The bodies go into the excavation pit of the houses we are building, where nobody will find them under the layer of cement. But in some cases, when the bodies are in exemplary conditions like most of theirs, we… have an arrangement of sort, with the man who founded us. He will also pay handsomely for supplies we provide for him.”

“And Jason?”

“Jason has to die now, I’m afraid. His bones will be a good fundament for charity housing. It’s going to be the most productive he ever was in life.”

Rose griped the knife. She met Jason’s eyes. She saw how the pleading expression in them turned into hatred and a challenge. He didn’t know what she was doing. It hurt. But that was okay. She still was going to do what she needs to.

“You  _ need  _ to do it,” Double-B said, raising his gun. “You need to kill him - otherwise, there’s no life for you here with us, Rose. There’s no life for you at all.”

“And Joey?” she asked quietly.

Bernard Blood frowned, momentarily lowering the hand with the gun.

“What?”

Rose repeated, loudly.

“And Joey Kane, my brother. What did you do to him?”

She slashed at Double-B, not waiting for the answer. She knew that now that he found out what she wanted, he would do anything to keep it from her. She knew it was a wrong move. But  _ that  _ was what she needed to do.

Someone tried to force Rose’s hands back, but as easy it was supposed to be in the close circle they all were in, it also made it harder for their ring leader to jump back. Rose got him.

Someone punched her in the head. She fell down, her ears ringing. The lights went out. A gun went off.

“Rose!” a familiar rough voice shouted. “To the exit, now!”

What the fuck Slade was doing there? She didn’t tell him that the timeline accelerated. Was he spying on her? Did he get in through the door in the back when everyone else was busy subduing Jason and the girl who was with him?

Did he get to their treasury? Was the money on him? Or did he transferred the money to somewhere safe and came back for her?

_ Was _ he here for her?

There was a lot of people fighting here, now. Jason’s friends, Jason himself - somebody freed them, but they were now on the opposite side of the room, and there was no way Rose could get to them now. Somebody else also dropped one of the candles to the floor, and now  _ everything  _ on fire. They had to get out  _ now _ .

She tried to shout. She tried to fight. She blacked out, or lost time, but when she came to her senses again, she was outside, on the ground. And she wasn’t alone.

"You ruined everything," Agnetta hissed, cocking the gun.

Rose was trapped. Agnetta was going to shoot anyway, even if Rose had the money to give back to her. And from this distance, there was no way she was going to miss.

_ Rose _ was going to miss - everything. Staying in one place for more than a month, the classes. That feeling that your future was just at a tip of your fingers. Jason.

She ruined everything, indeed.

Rose didn't squeeze her eyes shut in the face of inevitable. She was tougher than that. She just blinked, and her eyelids were so heavy, probably from the blow to her head.

She tried to run, she tried at least to stand when the gun went off. Her legs refused to keep her upright, and she crushed to the ground - and Agnetta's body crushed on hers.

She threw her eyes open and looked up. 

A young curly blond man was standing there, smoking gun still in his hand. He looked freaked as though it was the first time he fired one. Which made sense, at the same time as nothing made sense:

_ Joey was alive _ .


	8. Jason

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> People didn’t come back from the dead, Jason knew.

People didn’t come back from the dead, Jason knew.

Rose’s brother - Dick’s friend - wasn’t a fucking ghost or anything like that, either. Ghosts didn’t use secret tunnels only fraternity members knew about to sneak in and free people who were held captive in the basement. Zombies didn’t have a full blown-out fight on the lawn, outside of burning down building, with their asshole fathers. 

Yeah, Jason met Rose’s father as well. He wasn’t in the mood to ask him if he could take her to prom, though (and had a feeling that Rose would skin him alive if they were, in fact, high-schoolers, and prom was a place they both wanted to go). He stayed the fuck away. The dude, as far as Jason understood the events that transpired, was content to let them do anything they wanted to Jason himself, or Dick and his friends. Slade Wilson was hiding under the robes every Chi Beta member wore for one person alone: himself. He sneaked in when Jason and Rachel conveniently provided the distraction, got the money, but wasn’t able to leave with it unnoticed. So he decided to wait it out. God. If Joey didn’t show up, Rose  _ could have died _ .

“I’m alright,” she said, when he hugged her even closer to himself. “And I’m going to be alright. Unless you break my ribs if you don’t let me go right now.”

“Sorry,” he said.

“I’m not going apologize back,” she said resolutely.

“What? I… didn’t expect you to?”

“I know you thought I was going to go along with it. You thought I was going to kill you…”

“No,” Jason tried to interrupt, but she didn’t let him speak.

“And you’re right. I thought about it. Even if just for a second. Thought about killing you, and leaving your friends to their fates, and joining Chi Beta. Saving my life. Saving my future. It wasn’t even my plan, you know? Initially. It was Slade’s. Joey was his son. I never met him. I didn’t care what happened to him.”

“You’re lying, Rose,” Jason said.

She looked at him, shocked. He nodded, even more sure.

“I know when people really want to kill me. You were sorry, when you looked at me, but not because you felt guilty for your thoughts. You were guilty because you didn’t know how to say us both, or even any of us. And that’s why you slashed at Blood.”

She shook her head.

“You men. You’re ready to believe anything, just because you like me, aren’t you?”

“I don’t like you,” Jason said. “You stole my wallet. You lied - omitted a lot of things about your plans. You really could have tried to warn me by text, when you promised that you will let me in this house… I don’t know, a code phrase, a hint.”

“That wasn’t even me,” she punched him in the shoulder. He grimaced.

“You punched me in the shoulder. I think it’s broken, and you punched me in the shoulder! Even if I liked you, I probably wouldn’t, now.”

He sighed. Looked around all the people who were still gathered here, and all the more people who come - police, ambulance. Only Slade and Joey disappeared, from the people who were still alive. Dick waved at him, from where he was getting group-hugged by his friends. He nodded at Rose too, raised his brow in question. Jason shook his head and turned back to her.

“I don’t like you, Rose. But you’re brave, and you tough, and you’re funny and interesting and alive. I want to get to know you, Rose, because I have a feeling I am going to love you.”

Her lips twitched.

“A little early for an L-word, isn’t it?”

He threw his arms up.

“I have a feeling, feeling is not certainty. It’s not a guarantee. So I can always change my mind.”

“Yeah,” she said, taking his hand. “But I have a feeling you won’t.”

It’s such a cliche, saying that he almost drowned in her eyes. But that’s just it. Cliches are overused for a reason: it’s apt, it frees the brain space for more important things than coming up with metaphors. Things like trying to figure out her eye color, noticing how corners of her eyes raise slightly when she smiles back at him, relish in the warmth he felt where her hand was squeezing his. He desperately wanted to take it all in, so it would stay with him, no matter what actually became of them. If things didn’t work out, if they broke up or didn’t even get together in the first place - he felt alive for the first time since he was sixteen, maybe. He felt the future full of possibilities he was seeing for the first time. It’s like he died and has been reborn. 

Speaking of which.

“But did you know Joey was alive?” he frowned. “Dick won’t forgive me if you knew and didn’t tell me, so I could tell him, so he could tell all of them.”

And Rose punched him in the shoulder again.


End file.
